The term " Born Again Christian " is unbiblical

[robin hood]

Thanks , Sister , for indicating how the term "Born Again Christian" is divisive......divisive in a wrong sort of way .

Robin hood

It takes courage to stand up and speak about something that goes against the flow.  I don't like divisions, but at the same time I don't get offended.  We can have our say and people will accept or reject, but when the argument turns into a 10 page debate, you can tell it's going no-where and only causes more divisions.  The devil just has a field day, ...he loves this sort of stuff, especially when the insults come in and brotherly love goes out the door.

We are all under mercy and no matter how much we commend ourselves, the real judge sits at the door and can see right into our hearts whether we be walking in truth or not.

 

 

Thanks , Sister , for your wise words and understanding .

[Omegaman 3.0]

I have a simple question. This post is under the category of "Defense of the Gospel". Exactly in what way does pronouncing a term to be unbiblical, defend the gospel?

As a comment, I noticed the book title "How to be Born Again" Was mentioned. I have not read that book, so I have no idea what it contains, but the title itself seems concerning. Is there a formula it cites that forces God you give one new birth? Those who are born in any sense, ar not the ones who cause the birth. Whether you go with "born again" or "born from above" when Jesus or Peter used the term, it seems to me that it is a new life, a spiritual birth, that is bestowed by God, not something we do, so I am not fond of the title, "How to be Born Again".

Still, the fact that the Bible uses it in those two places (gospel and epistle), in my estimation, makes the notion that the term is unbiblical to be just untrue. That some use the term in some way which is not the biblical understanding of the idea, is unfortunate. We use terms like trinity and rapture, not in the bible, but that does not make them false or anti-Bible. At least with "born again" the phrase does come from scripture itself.

3Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

      4Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7“Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

From the above, it seems to me, that a person might not call themselves a born again Christian, but unless Jesus is wrong on this point, one will not enter the kingdom of God, apart from being born again. So what is the fuss about?

 

[thereselittleflower]

Robin hood  what do you become when you are born again?   

Do you become a christian?

When I was born again by water and the Spirit I became a son by adoption of the Father , was incorporated in the the Body of Christ , his Church , and became a temple of the Holy Spirit.......and lots of other glorious things .

 

Do you not call yourself a christian?

Yes.....amongst other things . As St Paul wrote , " I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. "  But I don't go around saying that I am a crucified Christian .

 

So I want to make sure I am not misunderstanding you

You call yourself a christian?     If you could just say yes or no that would make it very clear for me.  

 

 

A few posts back , about a couple of hours ago , I answered "Yes" to your question .

That doesn't mean that I am going to go around saying I am a "Born Again Christian" .

St Paul wrote : " But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit."

So I have been baptized , but I am not going to go around referring to myself as " A Baptized Christian" .

If you look through the thread you will see some of the reasons given for the use of the term "Born Again Christian" . I will leave you to make your own judgement on the reasons given why some Christians have latched on to this phrase from a few verses in John's Gospel to describe their Christian identity . 

 

 

I'm just confused -  why the redundancy in the expression   born again christian is of such great concern for you?

 

The unbiblical term "Born Again Christian" in the way it is used leads to a truncated , incomplete and thus erroneous theology . There are millions who have recited a formula .....and WOW !.....they straightaway become "Born Again Christians" .....it aint so simple .

It's a bit like what people do to become a Muslim .....simply saying " Ash hadu alla ilaha illa Allah, wa ash hadu anna Mohammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu."......and hocus pocus .....they are suddenly Muslims .

It's been said on this thread , and I quote , " The point of the term 'born again Christian' was to make a distinction between genuine Christians and nominal Christians." ......now that is playing God......a thing to be avoided at all costs .

 

 

So you are against the way the term is being  used by some.

And I agree with you on that.

And since no one can even see another's heart, no one can judge another's heart.

There will be many in that day who will have done great things for God, and certainly would not have been termed nominal christians, to whom Jesus will say,   "Depart from me, I never knew you."

 

 

 

 

 

You can see what I am trying to say .

You are spot on in what you say .

The term "Born Again Christian" was invented in the 1960s , and as some have said on this thread , it was invented with the purpose of judging other peoples' hearts .....by defining one's identity as a Christian by the words "Born Again" .....and all other Christians were not in reality Christians .

But perhaps more importantly , some have taken those words "Born Again" and created their whole theology around those two words . They are creating doctrine which is an abridged version of the Gospel . I don't want a downsized , curtailed version . I want the truth in all its fulness .

So , even though I have been born again by water and the Spirit , that does not define the fulness of my Christian identity . There is loads more to define who I am as a Christian .....loads more than is encompassed in those two words "born again" , and I would be doing no service to the fulness of truth if I were to restrict myself to a deficient definition of my Christian identity .

I am pleased , as I read through this thread , that an increasing number are becoming aware of just how divisive and insubstantial is the whole concept of the "Born Again Christian" idiom .

I'm understanding what you're saying.

It's the use the phrase has been put to.

[thereselittleflower]

Indeed we must be born again of the spirit but the flesh will never be born again after death. At the resurrection we shall receive new spiritual bodies like Jesus Christ has in Heaven.

The bodies are not new.  They are our bodies we have now transformed.    That's is why our bodies are resurrected.   God is not throwing away our bodies,  He's transforming them.

[thereselittleflower]

Robin hood  what do you become when you are born again?   

Do you become a christian?

When I was born again by water and the Spirit I became a son by adoption of the Father , was incorporated in the the Body of Christ , his Church , and became a temple of the Holy Spirit.......and lots of other glorious things .

 

Do you not call yourself a christian?

Yes.....amongst other things . As St Paul wrote , " I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. "  But I don't go around saying that I am a crucified Christian .

 

So I want to make sure I am not misunderstanding you

You call yourself a christian?     If you could just say yes or no that would make it very clear for me.  

 

 

A few posts back , about a couple of hours ago , I answered "Yes" to your question .

That doesn't mean that I am going to go around saying I am a "Born Again Christian" .

St Paul wrote : " But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit."

So I have been baptized , but I am not going to go around referring to myself as " A Baptized Christian" .

If you look through the thread you will see some of the reasons given for the use of the term "Born Again Christian" . I will leave you to make your own judgement on the reasons given why some Christians have latched on to this phrase from a few verses in John's Gospel to describe their Christian identity . 

 

 

I'm just confused -  why the redundancy in the expression   born again christian is of such great concern for you?

 

The unbiblical term "Born Again Christian" in the way it is used leads to a truncated , incomplete and thus erroneous theology . There are millions who have recited a formula .....and WOW !.....they straightaway become "Born Again Christians" .....it aint so simple .

It's a bit like what people do to become a Muslim .....simply saying " Ash hadu alla ilaha illa Allah, wa ash hadu anna Mohammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu."......and hocus pocus .....they are suddenly Muslims .

It's been said on this thread , and I quote , " The point of the term 'born again Christian' was to make a distinction between genuine Christians and nominal Christians." ......now that is playing God......a thing to be avoided at all costs .

 

 

So you are against the way the term is being  used by some.

And I agree with you on that.

And since no one can even see another's heart, no one can judge another's heart.

There will be many in that day who will have done great things for God, and certainly would not have been termed nominal christians, to whom Jesus will say,   "Depart from me, I never knew you."

 

 

 

 

 

You can see what I am trying to say .

You are spot on in what you say .

The term "Born Again Christian" was invented in the 1960s , and as some have said on this thread , it was invented with the purpose of judging other peoples' hearts .....by defining one's identity as a Christian by the words "Born Again" .....and all other Christians were not in reality Christians .

But perhaps more importantly , some have taken those words "Born Again" and created their whole theology around those two words . They are creating doctrine which is an abridged version of the Gospel . I don't want a downsized , curtailed version . I want the truth in all its fulness .

So , even though I have been born again by water and the Spirit , that does not define the fulness of my Christian identity . There is loads more to define who I am as a Christian .....loads more than is encompassed in those two words "born again" , and I would be doing no service to the fulness of truth if I were to restrict myself to a deficient definition of my Christian identity .

I am pleased , as I read through this thread , that an increasing number are becoming aware of just how divisive and insubstantial is the whole concept of the "Born Again Christian" idiom .

Always very revealing to note ----who is in agreement and "who is identifying with whom".  

 

It's quite easy really......just follow the thread......read what people actually say......then we arrive at revelation .

He's basically accusing you and I of error.

 

 

[thereselittleflower]

You are spot on in what you say. The term "Born Again Christian" was invented in the 1960s , and as some have said on this thread , it was invented with the purpose of judging other peoples' hearts .....by defining one's identity as a Christian by the words "Born Again" .....and all other Christians were not in reality Christians .

But perhaps more importantly , some have taken those words "Born Again" and created their whole theology around those two words . They are creating doctrine which is an abridged version of the Gospel . I don't want a downsized , curtailed version . I want the truth in all its fulness .

So , even though I have been born again by water and the Spirit , that does not define the fulness of my Christian identity . There is loads more to define who I am as a Christian .....loads more than is encompassed in those two words "born again" , and I would be doing no service to the fulness of truth if I were to restrict myself to a deficient definition of my Christian identity .

I am pleased , as I read through this thread , that an increasing number are becoming aware of just how divisive and insubstantial is the whole concept of the "Born Again Christian" idiom .

Don't you think it's just as dangerous to assume that every single person who uses the term "born again Christian" falls into this category? You say that "born again Christian" was invented 50 years ago with the purpose of "judging other peoples' hearts." The people who are going to do that are going to do that and the people who aren't going to do that aren't going to do that. Attacking a phrase such as "born again Christian" is just attacking a phrase, not assigning blame to those who do what you actually have a problem with. You're blaming the phrase? This thread is going nowhere. 

And robin hood Steve brings up a very important point.    Not everyone who uses the phrase uses it in the way those you are speaking of.    I know when I used it I never had any such judgment in my heart all those decades  ago.   

Edit:  I see you already responded acknowledging this.  

 

Edited August 26, 2015 by thereselittleflower

[robin hood]

Robin hood  what do you become when you are born again?   

Do you become a christian?

When I was born again by water and the Spirit I became a son by adoption of the Father , was incorporated in the the Body of Christ , his Church , and became a temple of the Holy Spirit.......and lots of other glorious things .

 

Do you not call yourself a christian?

Yes.....amongst other things . As St Paul wrote , " I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. "  But I don't go around saying that I am a crucified Christian .

 

So I want to make sure I am not misunderstanding you

You call yourself a christian?     If you could just say yes or no that would make it very clear for me.  

 

 

A few posts back , about a couple of hours ago , I answered "Yes" to your question .

That doesn't mean that I am going to go around saying I am a "Born Again Christian" .

St Paul wrote : " But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit."

So I have been baptized , but I am not going to go around referring to myself as " A Baptized Christian" .

If you look through the thread you will see some of the reasons given for the use of the term "Born Again Christian" . I will leave you to make your own judgement on the reasons given why some Christians have latched on to this phrase from a few verses in John's Gospel to describe their Christian identity . 

 

 

I'm just confused -  why the redundancy in the expression   born again christian is of such great concern for you?

 

The unbiblical term "Born Again Christian" in the way it is used leads to a truncated , incomplete and thus erroneous theology . There are millions who have recited a formula .....and WOW !.....they straightaway become "Born Again Christians" .....it aint so simple .

It's a bit like what people do to become a Muslim .....simply saying " Ash hadu alla ilaha illa Allah, wa ash hadu anna Mohammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu."......and hocus pocus .....they are suddenly Muslims .

It's been said on this thread , and I quote , " The point of the term 'born again Christian' was to make a distinction between genuine Christians and nominal Christians." ......now that is playing God......a thing to be avoided at all costs .

 

 

So you are against the way the term is being  used by some.

And I agree with you on that.

And since no one can even see another's heart, no one can judge another's heart.

There will be many in that day who will have done great things for God, and certainly would not have been termed nominal christians, to whom Jesus will say,   "Depart from me, I never knew you."

 

 

 

 

 

You can see what I am trying to say .

You are spot on in what you say .

The term "Born Again Christian" was invented in the 1960s , and as some have said on this thread , it was invented with the purpose of judging other peoples' hearts .....by defining one's identity as a Christian by the words "Born Again" .....and all other Christians were not in reality Christians .

But perhaps more importantly , some have taken those words "Born Again" and created their whole theology around those two words . They are creating doctrine which is an abridged version of the Gospel . I don't want a downsized , curtailed version . I want the truth in all its fulness .

So , even though I have been born again by water and the Spirit , that does not define the fulness of my Christian identity . There is loads more to define who I am as a Christian .....loads more than is encompassed in those two words "born again" , and I would be doing no service to the fulness of truth if I were to restrict myself to a deficient definition of my Christian identity .

I am pleased , as I read through this thread , that an increasing number are becoming aware of just how divisive and insubstantial is the whole concept of the "Born Again Christian" idiom .

Always very revealing to note ----who is in agreement and "who is identifying with whom".  

 

It's quite easy really......just follow the thread......read what people actually say......then we arrive at revelation .

He's basically accusing you and I of error.

 

 

So that's what he means.....that's no problem......it's a common occurrence . 

[thereselittleflower]

Jeff what are  you going to do when 50 years from now Jesus has not yet returned?

[MorningGlory]

Whe was born again by water and the Spirit I became son by adoption of the Father , was incorporated in the the Body of Christ , his Church , and became a temple of the Holy Spirit.......and lots of other glorious things .

Good; now we know that you are a baptized Christian.

[Steve_S]

I removed a whole lot of speculation about a guy who is not here to defend himself's salvation. Please refrain from opining on such things. Thanks!